49ers

2013 NFL Mock Draft V3.0: Picks 24-32

The bottom of the first round will be the most unpredictable and fascinating portion of the 2013 NFL Draft. This is where really smart teams will shine.

Think about it: anyone can select a Heisman candidate. Their talent is apparent enough for GMs and others to not have to work especially hard. It is much more difficult to find an under-the-radar, diamond in the rough whose potential nobody else fully grasps.

Two types of players reside at the bottom of the first round: very talented and physically gifted prospects with attitude problems, and less talented prospects -- with at least one notable weakness -- that get by on grit and effort. Both types have a history of working out and failing in this league.

As always, a few maintenance issues we should get out of the way: 1. The draft order was determined by ESPN’s power rankings. Obviously things will change as the season progresses, but that is the structure we opted to use for now. 2. We didn’t hold anyone’s performances from the championship games against them. (These guys have long résumés, there is no need to pick and choose individual outings.) 3. We weighed team needs over best player available whenever it was clear that a team had a really glaring hole. In the case of teams that didn’t have particularly glaring holes, we emphasized best player available.

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